Scottish Government

Target 1:
To continue to increase the police clear-up rate for serious violent crime. Desired level of improvement to be discussed with police forces.

Definitions:

Serious violent crimes, under the latest definition, are those recorded as serious assault (including murder and culpable homicide), robbery, all other non - sexual crimes of violence (except abortion, possession of a firearm, drugging or chemical weapon offences), homosexual acts, ¹ attempts to commit unnatural crimes, rape and attempted rape.

Note: Following strong representations from the police, the definition of serious violent crime was changed between SR 2000 and SR 2002 to exclude some crimes not deemed to be actually violent (for example possession of a firearm) and to include some additional crimes of indecency which could involve violence.

The clear-up rate is the number of crimes cleared up as a percentage of those recorded by the police. A crime or offence is regarded as cleared up where there exists a sufficiency of evidence under Scots law, to justify consideration of criminal proceedings notwithstanding that a report is not submitted to the procurator fiscal because either

(i) by standing agreement with the procurator fiscal, the police warn the accused due to the minor nature of the offence, or

(ii) reporting is inappropriate due to the non-age of the accused, death of the accused or other similar circumstances.

The totals apply to Scotland as a whole.

Data:

The information used is from a statistical return from police forces providing for each quarter a simple count of the numbers of serious violent crimes recorded and the numbers cleared up by the police. Performance will be monitored by these returns (see below).

Who produces the data:

The data are collected by each Scottish Police force and passed to the Scottish Executive. At present these are published annually and by calendar year by the Justice Statistics Unit in a Scottish Executive statistical bulletin, though from 2004-05 the figures will be published on a financial year basis. Financial year figures are published annually by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). Because of the change in definition, the published figures will not provide the detail required to monitor the target directly but the target will be monitored by figures consistent with those published.

Exact time period:

The baseline year is 2003-04 - the latest date for which information is available. The end date will be 31 March 2008.

Timeliness of the data:

Financial year data for 2007-08 should be available by September 2008.

Past trends:

Clear-up rates for serious crimes of violence

Year Clear-up rate (Per cent)

2000-01 59.7
2001-02 58.7
2002-03 58.8
2003-04 59.0

Milestones:

Performance on individual targets is monitored by a group, chaired by the Association of Chief Police Offices Scotland (ACPOS) involving representatives from forces, the Scottish Executive, HMIC, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the Scottish Police Authorities Forum.

Quality control:

Recorded crime data is validated by several mechanisms:

• Centralised guidance circulated to all police forces.
• Scottish Executive Justice Statistics Unit identifies data inconsistent with past trends and anomalous changes for query with police forces.
• Auditing of police recording practices as part of HMIC inspections.
• Quality issues considered in meetings of the SCOTSTAT Crime and Justice Committee, involving Executive and police forces.
• Regular audit visits to forces by Justice Statistics Unit.
• Issues of basic principles concerning recording of crime raised for decision by ACPOS Crime Committee.

Target 2:
An increase in the number of criminal networks disrupted (the number to be set in consultation with law enforcement agencies).

Definitions:

At present various law enforcement agencies throughout the UK have developed matrices to measure the disruption of organised crime, which are based around activity, mostly in the form of performance indicators and targets. UK law enforcement agencies have recognised that there is a need for agencies to align activity towards achieving common harm reduction goals, whilst working to meet their own performance indicators. Definitions have yet to be agreed, but will be dealt with in the near future.

Data:

Work has, and is being, undertaken to develop a more robust and reliable disruption matrix, designed to measure the impact in terms of the success in reducing the opportunities for criminal profit, disrupting criminal business and their markets and increasing the personal risks for criminals. In adopting such an approach, law enforcement agencies will find ways of linking disruption with harm reduction to have a sustained impact on Organised Crime Enterprises and therefore reduce the harm caused to the UK's economy and communities.

Who produces the data:

Partner law enforcement agencies, such as HM Customs & Excise, the National Crime Squad (NCS), the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) and the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency (SDEA), all under the auspices of the Concerted Inter Agency Drugs Action Group (CIDA) and the Concerted Inter Agency Criminal Finance Asset Group (CICFA), are committed to the identification of appropriate criteria and the development of an appropriate disruption matrix.

Exact time period:

Measurements won't start until 2005-06 and will cover the SR period to 2007-08.

Timeliness of the data:

To be determined.

Past trends:

Not applicable. This is a new target which will bring together a new data series.

Milestones:

The SDEA, on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) and Scottish police forces, is currently contributing to the development of such a matrix and this work will complement the establishment of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and its Scottish equivalent. We are asking the Agency to try to bring this work to a conclusion in the current financial year so that monitoring can begin in 2005-06. If this does not seem to be achievable, we will consider with the SDEA whether we can rely on interim measures until the matrix is available.

Quality control:

Partner law enforcement agencies are all committed to the identification of appropriate criteria and the development of an appropriate disruption matrix.

Target 3:
A 10% reduction in the number of persistent young offenders by March 2008.

Definitions:

Persistent young offender: a young person referred to the Reporter for five or more alleged offences in a six month period.

Data:

Data on offence referrals is collected by the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration (SCRA) and retained in its referrals database (RAD).

Who produces the data:

SCRA by interrogating RAD, reporting the figures to the Executive.

Exact time period:

The baseline will be the trend in persistent young offender figures from 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2006. The end date will be 31 March 2008.

Timeliness of the data:

The data will be collected and reported quarterly to managers. Figures will be reported within two months of the period they relate to. The Executive will publish figures annually in Parliament.

Past trends:

Unable to identify past trends as no reliable data available prior to national roll-out of RAD. Only reliable data is for 2003-04. This shows that at 31 March 2004 there were 955 persistent young offenders.

Milestones:

None.

Quality control:

The Executive has longstanding and ongoing concerns about the reliability and accuracy of SCRA data. SCRA have introduced new collection and checking procedures to help ensure data quality in future. YJCH Division will continue to monitor the reliability and accuracy of data produced. SCRA and SE have agreed that 2003-04 gives us the best chance of a reliable baseline as RAD operated nationally throughout that year for the first time.

Target 4:
A 10% increase in the number of drug misusers entering treatment by March 2008.

Definitions:

Drug Misuser: Any person who experiences social, psychological or legal problems related to intoxication and/or regular excessive consumption and/or dependence as a consequence of his/her own use of drugs or chemical substances.

Treatment: A drugs service or agency which provides a service to drug misusers and which reports to the Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD).

Data:

The number of new clients reported to the Scottish Drug Misuse Database. NB. A new client is - Any person who is attending the service for (a) the first time ever or (b) it has been at least six months since the last attendance at the service.

Who produces the data:

The Drug Misuse Information Strategy Team at Information and Statistics Division Scotland.

Exact time period:

The original baseline year was 1999-00. The baseline year for this spending review will be 2003-04. The end date will be 31 March 2008.

Timeliness of the data:

The data is collected on an ongoing basis. Quarterly figures are collated for performance management purposes and the yearly totals are published annually.

Past trends:

The number of new clients reporting to the SDMD has increased annually since 1998-99 as detailed below:

1998-99 - 9,128 new clients
1999-00 - 10,440 new clients
2000-01 - 10,575 new clients
2001-02 - 11, 648 new clients
2002-03* - 11,697 new clients
2003-04* - 12,638 new clients

* - Figure provided is based on unpublished data, any changes are likely to be in an upward direction.

Milestones:

None.

Quality control:

The Scottish Drug Misuse Database has strict validation and quality control checks built in.

Target 5:
A 2% reduction in reconviction rates in all types of sentence by March 2008.

Definitions:

Reconviction rate - % of those given a non-custodial sentence or discharged from custody in a given year who are reconvicted within two years.

Sentence type - custody/probation/community service/other community sentence (Restriction of Liberty Order (RLO), Drug Treatment and Testing Order (DTTO))/financial (fine, compensation order)/other sentence (mainly admonishment).

Index conviction - the original conviction against which any subsequent reconvictions in a two-year follow-up period are tracked.

Data:

The Scottish Offenders Index (SOI), which covers all convictions since the start of 1989 in Scottish courts for a crime, common assault, breach of the peace, racially aggravated harassment or conduct, firearms offences and social security offences.

Who produces the data:

Scottish Executive Justice Department (SEJD) Justice Statistics Unit (JSU), via an analysis of the SOI.

Exact time period:

*baseline year

Timeliness of the data:

Analysis of reconvictions generally uses a two-year follow-up period. Together with the 3 - 12 month period it can take for conviction details to be recorded on SCRO and then extracted for addition to the SOI, this means it can be up to 3 years for full data on reconvictions for a given year's cohort of offenders to become available.

Past trends:

2-year reconviction rates by index disposal

* provisional figures - may be slight underestimates

Milestones:

None.

Quality control:

The conviction records in the SOI database are put through a series of data error and credibility checks as part of the process used by the JSU to create the annual analysis files on court proceedings. The programming to generate the summary statistics on reconvictions has been tested and developed over the last 5 years, and is the same as has been used to produce the biennial statistical bulletin on reconvictions.

Target 6:

A 10% reduction in High Court trial adjournments by March 2008 in partnership with Crown Office and the Procurator Fiscal Service.

Definitions:

Trial adjournment: a trial which is not able to commence at the scheduled diet and has to be continued to another diet.

Data:

There are various reasons for trials being adjourned but the main ones are non attendance of a witness (Crown/defence); further time needed for preparation (including counsel's availability and late instructions). Reasons for adjournments are recorded in the minutes of court proceedings.

Who produces the data:

Scottish Court Service (SCS) - from its computerised case management system.

Exact time period:

The end date will be 31 March 2008. The baseline year will be 2004-05, when the legislative changes impacting on High Court reform come into effect.

Timeliness of the data:

The data will be collected and reported quarterly in SCS performance reports within 21 days of the end of each quarter; and annually (on the basis of the financial year) in the SCS annual reports and accounts.

Past trends:

In 33% of cases listed in 2001 the trial was adjourned at least once.

Milestones:

No milestones have been set to allow transition and bedding down of the reforms. Independent evaluative research of the High Court reforms is expected to be published at the end of 2006.

Quality control:

Comparison with COPFS data, MIS monitoring and audit compliance.

Target 7:

60% of Sheriff Summary and District Court cases to be disposed within 26 weeks of the date of caution and charge by March 2008 in partnership with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Definitions:

Sheriff Summary: cases which are heard in the Sheriff Court by a Sheriff sitting without a jury.

District Court: cases which are heard in the District Court by either a Stipendiary Magistrate or a Justice.

Disposal: the Verdict Date, i.e. the date when proceedings are concluded by acceptance of a plea from the accused, or when the verdict is reached by the court (Sheriff, Magistrate or Justice).

Date of Caution & Charge: the date the accused is cautioned and charged by the police.

Data:

Data to measure performance will be extracted from the COPFS National Database - programmes will compare the Caution & Charge date and the verdict date.

Who produces the data:

COPFS Business and Policy Development Division.

Exact time period:

The end date will be 31 March 2008.

Timeliness of the data:

The data will be collected and reported quarterly. We plan to begin formally reporting on this target in the third quarter of 2006-07. Preliminary results from the new data extraction systems will, however, give an indication of progress in relation to the 31st March 2006 milestone listed below. These preliminary results will need to be fully verified as part of the validation of the new data systems.

Past trends:

This is a new target but a sampling exercise in 2003-04 suggested that around 42% of Sheriff Summary and District court cases were disposed of within 26 weeks of the date of caution and charge.

Performance of the target will depend not only on the time taken by COPFS to process a case, but also on how long it takes the police to report an offence to the Procurator Fiscal and whether the case proceeds to trial.

Milestones:

50% of cases to be disposed of within 26 weeks by 31 March 2006.

Quality control:

Data will come from the COPFS National Database, which is an operational case tracking system.

There are data verification and quality control procedures, which are supplemented by manual procedures to ensure the validity of the data held.